444 



BALSAMOCITRUS 



BAMBOO 



the empty fr. as a powder-flask. Native to the M'fau or 

 Palioxiin country in N. French Congo and S. Kanierun 

 where the fr. is known to tlie French re.-fidents as 

 "f)oire a poudre" (powder-flask). This species grows 

 very rapidly under greenliouse conditions. It has been 

 grafted successfully on the tabog iCIwlospennum 

 glulinosa). a related tree native to the Philii)pines, and 

 may prove of value as a stock for citrous fruits on ac- 

 count of its vigor and healthiness. 111. Bull. Soc. 

 Bot. Fr. V. 58, Mem. 8d, pi. 3, and F'ig. B., p. 235. 



Walter T. Swingle. 



BALSAMORRHIZA (Greek, bnhamrool). Compdsitse. 

 Low perennials with thick, deep, resinous, frequently 

 tuberous roots, tufts of radical Ivs., and large yellow 

 fis. : Ivs. usually long-petiolate, when cauline usually 

 opposite, mostly radical: scapes few-lvd. or n.aked; 

 fls. usually solitary. The root was an aboriginal food, 

 when the rind was peeled. — About 10 species, mostly 

 from Cent, and \V. N. Amer. 



Hookeri, Nutt. Caneseent: height 4-12 in.: Ivs. 

 lanceolate, 1-2-pinnately parted: fls. solitary, on naked 

 scapes. — Intro. 1881 by E. Gillett, but scarcely known to 

 horticulturists. Useful in dry situations. 



N. Taylor. 



455. Balsamocitrus paniculata. ( X 



BAMBOO. Various perennial ornamental grasses 

 embracing the genera and species of the tribe Bumbu- 

 sem, order (Iramiiieif, cultivated for the surpassing 

 beauty of their foliage and habit; some of them are 

 hardy even in parts of the northern states, but they 

 are warm-country plants. 



Usually large, sometimes tree-like, woody, rarely 

 herbaceous or cUmbing plants, of wide geographical 

 range. The species are irregularly distributed through- 

 out the tropical zone, a few occurring in subtropical 

 and temperate zones, attaining their maximum devel- 

 opment in the monsoon regions of Asia. — About twenty- 

 three genera, only two being common to both hemis- 

 pheres. Something more than 20(J species are recog- 

 nized, of which upwards of 100 occur in Asia, about 

 seventy in America, and five in Africa. They extend 

 from sea-level to altitudes of more than 10,000 feet in 

 the Himalayas and lo.OtK) feet in the Andes, and under 

 the most favorable conditions some specie.'i may attain 

 a height of HW to 120 feet, with a diameter of culm 

 oia U) \2 inchfs. 



An attempt to enumerate the numerous and variefl 

 economic u.ses of the giant-gra8.se.s woukl greatly over- 

 reach the field of this article; but as objf^cls of grace 

 and beauty in the garden, conservatory, and under 

 special cxjnditions of landscape, bamboos are matchless. 

 Not only are they adapted to sections favored witli a 



gentle climate, but it is possible to grow certain species 

 where the cold of winter may reach zero Fahrenheit, 

 or even occasional depressions of greater severity. 



Bamboos delight in a deep, rich loam, and generously 

 respond to good treatment. A warm, sUghtly shady 

 nook, protected from the prevailing cold winds of win- 

 ter, and in which moi.st but well-drained soil is plenti- 

 ful, is an ideal location. A top-dressing of manure and 

 leaves is not onlj' beneficial in winter, by preventing the 

 frost from penetrating the ground too deeply, but it 

 also preserves the moisture that is so essential to the 

 welfare of the plants during the growing season. Some 

 species produce rampant subterranean stems, and spread 

 rapidly when once established. These should not be 

 planted for ornamental purposes, but only those form- 

 ing tufts or clumps. It is best to plant each group of but 

 a single species, and to restrict the wide-spreading sorts 

 to isolated positions. The most elTective results to be 

 obtained by planting bamboos are secured on gentle 

 banks above clear water, and against a background of 

 the deepest green. In such situations the graceful 

 stems and dainty branches, bending with their wealth 

 of soft green leaves, and the careless lines of symmetry 

 of each individual, lend a bold contrast of the richest 

 beauty. Ordinarily it will require two or three years 

 thoroughly to establish a clump of bamboos in the 

 open air, and, until this is accomplished, the vigor, 

 hardiness and beauty that characterize some noble 

 kinds will be lacking. During the first few years, a new 

 plantation should receive generous protection in locaU- 

 ties in which the winters are trying, and even with this 

 precaution it is likely the plants will suffer to some 

 extent in cold weather. Planted out in conservatories 

 or confined in tubs or large pots, the bamboos present 

 many admirable qualities, and, as decorative plants, 

 several species ofTer many inducements to their culti- 

 vation, eispecially as they may be grown and used 

 out-of-doors in the summer and cheaply wintered in a 

 coolhouse. 



Propagation is best effected by careful division of the 

 clumps before the annual growth has started. The 

 difficulty of procuring seeds in some instances is very 

 great; indeed, the fruiting of a number of species has 

 never been observed. Some species flower annually, 

 but the majority reach this stage only at intervals of 

 indefinite and frequently widely separated periods. In 

 some species the flowers appear on leafy branches; in 

 others the leaves fall from the culms before the flowers 

 appear, or the inflorescence is produced on leafless, 

 radical stems. Fructification does not exhaust the 

 vitality of some species; but others, on the other hand, 

 perish even to the portions underground, leaving their 

 places to be filled by their seedling offspring. Owing 

 largely to the difficulty in obtaining flowering speci- 

 mens, the systematic arrangement or nomenclature of 

 the bamboos is in a sad plight. As it is sometimes even 

 impossible to determine accurately the genus without 

 flowers, the correct positions of some forms are not 

 known. 



F'our sub-tribes of Bambuseae are accepted by Hackel, 

 namely: Arundinariiise. — Stamens 3: palea 2-keeled: 

 fr. with the seed grown fast to the seed-wall. To this 

 belong Arundinaria and Phyllostachys. Eubambuscce. — 

 Stamens 6: fr. with the seed fused to a delicate seed- 

 wall. Bambusa is the only garden genus. Dcndrocala- 

 mese. — Stamens 6 (rarely more): palca 2-keeled: fr. a 

 nut or berry. Here belongs Dendrocalamus. Melo- 

 cannex. — Characters of the last, but palea not keeled. 

 Melocanna is an example, an exira-tropical genus, 

 probably not in cult, in the U. S. 



The genera Arunriinaria, Phyllostachys, Bambusa 

 and Dendrocalamus contain the most important species 

 in cultivation. Roughly, the species of Arundinaria may 

 be separated from Phyllostachys by the persistent 

 sheaths and cylindrical stems. In Phyllostachys the 

 sheaths are early deciduous, and the internodes, at 



